Milan becomes Food City for a week

Milan explores food and wine in all their aspects with meetings, tastings, exhibits and more for a seven-day celebration of one of Italy’s – and Milan’s – most important qualities, aimed at gourmands, citizens, tourists, professionals and families.

The festival will explore food’s “seven virtues”: taste, conviviality, energy, diversity, nutrition, resources and play in a programme of 152 events all across the city.

A constant theme throughout the week, building on the experience of Expo Milan 2015, will be the war on waste and the development of more sustainable and equitable urban food systems.

Among the star guests will be John F Kerry, former US secretary of state and long-standing champion of environmentalism, who will speak on Tuesday on the importance of climate change for the food system and the challenge of ensuring a sustainable future.

Another top guest, Howard Schultz Starbucks executive chairman, whose prolific career sparked an international renaissance in the way we drink and appreciate coffee, will deliver keynote remarks at the Seeds&Chips - The Global Food Innovation Summit on Monday.

Both of Milan’s major airports, Linate and Malpensa, will have stands offering arriving passengers Milanese specialties and information about the Food Week events.